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East of Broken Bow | My thoughts, along with some experiences:
Rear view camera (with alarm) - good thing. Not sure it needs to be required by law, but at least as an option. My dad is 88 years old, and can't turn his head like he used to. He still uses his side mirrors, but the camrea lets him see directly behind him.
Lane assist - I don't think it is much good around here. Friend has that, and said that his car fights him when there is something like a skunk walking along the white line, and he wants to move over a bit so as not to hit it. Keep in mind I can drive the 15 miles to town and sometimes meet less than 5 vehicles until I turn onto the State Highway at the edge of town.
Blind spot lights - I kind of like. My wife's car has that, and they will light up when backing out of a parking spot if someone is approaching from the side (in addition to merging in traffic). Can't say it saved a fender bender, but it has alerted us a couple times to something in our blind spot.
Car shutoff: BAD idea. Might be good in theory, but 'here' you stop at the stop sign, and the engine shuts off just as you are ready to take off again. We have a new deputy who enforces the '5 second stop', meaning you have to come to a complete stop for 5 seconds before you proceed. Do that, and the engine shuts off, and the starter tries to start it again before it stops turning! If we HAVE to have it, at least put on a longer delay before it shuts off.
BRIGHT lights: Most factory lights are OK, it is the aftermarket blinders that seem to be an issue here.
Radio as telephone? Probably safer than holding the telephone for people who are determined to be on it.
Tire pressure dash gauge? This I like. My daughter does not do a 'walk around' of her car - well neither of them do. No matter how many times I say to walk around, they always seem to be in a hurry. The low tire warning has saved us a couple tires and possibly rims from getting ruined.
Most of this stuff does not affect me, as MY newest vehicle is a 2000. My wife just got a new to her vehicle, a 2022, and it seems to have a lot of that stuff on it. Helpful for the most part, but I also wonder in a way if it isn't more that can go wrong. | |
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Is technology making us unsafe-- or safer ?
